This invention relates to a dry pet food product and process comprising forming fibrous food pieces simulating vegetables, grains and red meat, and admixing the pieces with a basal ration so the food pieces are interspersed therein.
Many pet owners desire to vary the diet of their pets for nutritional purposes, aesthetic appeal or to increase the palatability of the ration. Pet owners have a wide choice of food products within the general class of pet foods: (1) dry per foods; (2) semi-moist pet foods; and (3) moist pet foods. Each pet food of the particular subdivision differs from the other pet food subdivisions in that different moisture and palatability levels are achieved. Generally speaking, the palatability level increases as the moisture level is increased. Thus, pet owners will add water and other food materials, i.e., left over table scraps, to dry pet food rations in order to increase its acceptance and palatability.
The addition of vegetable and meat table scraps to dry pet food rations creates the appearance of a stew. Canned or moist pet foods may more closely resemble stews and they may be highly desirable as a consumer item. However, dry pet food products have the advantages of being more economical and more convenient for free choice feeding of the pet. Canadian Pat. Nos. 995,968 and 1,043,624 show a dry pet food resembling a stew when hydrated, providing meat simulating pieces and vegetable simulating pieces of contrasting colors.
With advancing extrusion technology, it has become increasingly efficient to develop meat and vegetable simulating food pieces from inexpensive farinaceous and proteinaceous raw materials. The basic process involves adding moisture to a vegetable protein source material, extruding the material at elevated temperatures and pressures to produce an expanded textured vegetable protein product having a fibrous texture. The basic extrusion process for producing a textured vegetable protein product is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,495 and 3,496,858. The process and product of the present invention involve the preparation of simulated fibrous food pieces from farinaceous and proteinaceous materials, particularly soybean protein source material. After the preparation of the food simulating pieces, the soybean protein is denatured. The pieces are then admixed with additional farinaceous and undenatured proteinaceous material to be cooked by extrusion to produce an expanded product containing fibrous food pieces dispersed therein.